The present invention generally relates to improvements in safety needled medical devices which are designed to minimize the incidence of accidental pricking of the skin and resulting spread of infectious diseases by an exposed contaminated needle after use thereof. The disclosed devices may be used as blood collection tube holders, syringes with or without an attached needle, prefilled syringes, and IV catheters.
Accidental needlesticks have long been a problem in the medical profession. Accidental needlesticks most often occur during the recapping of a contaminated needle or immediately after use and prior to safe disposal. Such needlesticks place the medical professional (clinician) at risk. When needles are not recapped, additional accidental needlesticks are caused by uncapped needles found in patient beds, linens, and in garbage cans, and place health care housekeeping and sanitation personnel at risk. Because accidental needlesticks can now result in deadly incurable diseases as well as the previously appreciated serious, but usually curable diseases, the need for eliminating the needlestick problem has reached extreme urgency. In addressing the urgency, many devices have been proposed. Indeed, the prior art discloses a number of devices which are arranged to shield the needle of the device after use, but none are as simple to manufacture, assemble, an use as the devices of the present invention. A benefit of the devices of the present invention is that the devices require no change in the method of use or technique by medical personnel, i.e. the medical practioners will use the devices in the same way they previously used standard hypodermic syringes, blood collection tube holders, etc., except that after use they will move a shield to cover the exposed contaminated needle in a very easy, simple, and straightforward manner, requiring the use of only one hand.
Included in the prior art among many safety devices are safety-needled syringes such as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,571,653 to Bastien, 4,026,287 to Haller, 4,425,120 to Sampson et al., 4,573,976 to Sampson et al., 4,631,057 to Mitchell, 4,643,199 to Jennings, Jr. et al., 4,655,751 to Harbaugh, 4,666,435 to Braginetz, 4,681,567 to Masters et al., 4,702,738 to Spencer, 4,702,739 to Milorad, 4,723,943 to Spencer, 4,737,144 to Choksi, 4,738,603 to Bogan, 4,747,830 to Gloyer et al, 4,747,837 to Hauck, and 4,758,231 to Haber et al. None of these devices, however, have yet gained acceptance in the medical field. Many of the devices require complex pieces or are of such a design such that they are expensive to manufacture and assemble. Others of the devices require the clinician's procedure and technique to change. Yet other devices, while relatively simple in construction and use, do not provide the required level of safety desirable from a "safety" needled device.